A flexible tape of the type designed to be held within a housing and which can be extended and retracted with respect to the housing is commonly used by carpenters and other people. Typically, disposed on the outer or remote end of the flexible tape is an L-shaped end portion that includes a turned-down catch that generally extends at a right angle to the tape. The turned-down catch is very beneficial for assisting a person in measuring a distance especially where a starting or end point is such that the catch on the remote end of the tape can be effectively hooked and held stationary while the tape housing is pulled. In fact, there is a great deal of prior art that even goes further inasmuch as certain prior art patents suggest a simple hook-type attachment that is designed to be attachable and detachable with respect to the remote end of the flexible tape. Again, these types of attachments are beneficial in certain situations where the attached hook will in fact anchor or hold the tape in place.
However, these hook-type attachments have many disadvantages and drawbacks in certain applications. For example, consider the problem that a trim carpenter has in cutting a piece of shoe mold to fit below the baseboard in a residential structure. First, the carpenter has to determine the length that the shoe mold should be cut. Then the carpenter has to measure the shoe mold and mark the point of the cut to be made. A simple turned-down catch on a tape or an attached hook will not sufficiently retain itself about the end of a piece of shoe mold such that the carpenter can freely extend the tape from the remote end of the shoe mold without being concerned about the tape end slipping off that remote end. As a consequence, it is difficult for a carpenter or any other person to easily and conveniently measure a member such as a piece of shoe mold.
There is a need for a particular attachment that can be easily attached and detached from the end of the tape that will positively hold and retain the end of a flexible tape at the end of a member, such as a piece of shoe mold, that is to be measured.